COMMON STORIES: Connected Greenspaces Designed to Foster Connections

Posted on: December 17, 2019

“Parks provide a valuable place to create a sense of community and for people to come together. I think every major city, even smaller cities in North America, are having their own big or small parks renaissance; rediscovering parks and what they can do in them. We’re drawing on best practices from all over North America. Janet and I were just in Dallas looking at Klyde Warren Park and how they use food trucks as a way to activate a park. We look to Bryant Park in New York City, the granddaddy of all modern parks, and how they program their space and work with partnerships. Locally, we look to Trinity Bellwoods, where there are so many people spending afternoons on weekends. What we want to emulate from these examples on the Cloverdale site is the diverse use of the space.”

~ Wayne Swanton, Principal and Senior Landscape Architect, Janet Rosenberg and Studio

 

“It’s been critical that green space was a key component of the Cloverdale redevelopment designed from the beginning to ensure that these spaces will be well thought out. Our vision is to have a series of connected greenspaces that serve different purposes and have enough space for all sorts of levels of activity to happen for all ages of people. In planning, QuadReal is very forward thinking about what is going to make a healthy, vibrant community where people want to live. They’re very open to hearing what people want and respond to the feedback. Wayne and I travel a lot and we’re always looking out for new concepts, especially in looking at the urbanization of the suburban mall. We’re not designing parks just for parents and children anymore. There’s a big emphasis on including places for dogs to go, as they’re a part of families. We’re also trying to create space that remains enjoyable and accessible twelve months of the year. We’re asking ourselves how to make people feel comfortable and sheltered from winds, and how we can make winter fun with some of the designs. Whether it’s a space for yoga, a community library, people to play music or have a birthday party, we share QuadReal’s vision to create a community, and are incorporating that into our greenspace designs.”

~ Janet Rosenberg, Founding Principal, Janet Rosenberg and Studio

 

Common Stories is a monthly blog series that will bring you people’s stories, told at the Cloverdale Common. The Common is the designated space within the mall created to seek the community’s input regarding the proposed Cloverdale redevelopment. Visit us in the North end of the mall and let us know your thoughts and visions for the future of Cloverdale.